Jan Ashley was an American former beauty queen and private individual who became known to the public through one very brief chapter of her life — her 30-day marriage to attorney Robert Kardashian Sr. in 1998.
She was not a celebrity. She was not chasing fame. She had lived a full and quiet life long before the Kardashian name meant anything to most people. And after her short marriage ended, she returned to that quiet life without complaint or drama.
Jan Ashley passed away on October 1, 2015, at the age of 67. But her name continues to come up in discussions about the early Kardashian family history. This article tells her full story — from her childhood in Texas to her pageant title, her long first marriage, her brief second marriage, and the controversy that followed her in her final years.
Quick Bio Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Janice Lynn Glass |
| Known As | Jan Ashley |
| Date of Birth | August 3, 1948 |
| Birthplace | Amarillo, Texas, USA |
| Date of Death | October 1, 2015 |
| Place of Death | Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA |
| Age at Death | 67 years old |
| Nationality | American |
| Zodiac Sign | Leo |
| Pageant Title | Miss Tulsa 1966 |
| First Husband | John Ashley (married 1978, died 1997) |
| Second Husband | Robert Kardashian Sr. (married November 25, 1998; annulled 1999) |
| Children | None |
| Burial | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills |
Early Life and Childhood
Jan Ashley was born Janice Lynn Glass on August 3, 1948, in Amarillo, Texas. Her parents were James Douglas Glass and Monnie Glass. She grew up in a traditional American household where community involvement and family values were central to daily life.
Her childhood was spent in Texas, away from any entertainment industry influence. She developed an interest in fashion, beauty, and social events from an early age. Those interests eventually pointed her toward the world of beauty pageants.
Very little has been made public about her school years or early education. She kept the details of her personal background private throughout her life, and that preference stayed consistent right until the end.
Miss Tulsa 1966
In 1966, at just 18 years old, Jan won the title of Miss Tulsa. It was a genuine achievement that brought her recognition in her local community and opened doors to social circles she may not have otherwise entered.
Beauty pageants in the 1960s were significant events in American communities. Winning a title like Miss Tulsa gave young women visibility, confidence, and access to professional networking opportunities. For Jan, it became one of the defining moments of her early adult life.
She did not use the title as a springboard into modeling or entertainment. Instead, she carried the confidence it gave her into a private life built on personal relationships rather than public attention.
First Marriage: John Ashley
Meeting and Marriage
Jan met John Ashley in 1978 while she was living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. John Ashley was an actor and film producer with a solid career in Hollywood. He had appeared in well-known productions and worked across television and film for many years.
The two married in 1978 and relocated to California, where John continued his career. Jan supported his work but stayed away from the entertainment world herself. She was part of Hollywood’s social circles by proximity, but she never sought a spotlight of her own.
Life Together
Their marriage was stable and long-lasting — nearly two decades together. Jan has been described by those who knew her as a calm and gentle presence, someone who valued loyalty and personal connection over ambition.
John worked on numerous productions throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. The couple lived comfortably in California without drawing attention to their private life.
John Ashley’s Death
John Ashley died of a heart attack on October 3, 1997, in New York City. He was 62 years old. His death came suddenly and devastated Jan, who had spent nearly 20 years beside him.
She had no children from the marriage. After his death, she entered a quiet period of grief and focused entirely on healing. She did not seek media attention during this time and gave no public statements about her loss.
Years later, it was revealed that Jan was buried beside John at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills — a detail that speaks clearly to how deeply she valued that relationship, even long after it had ended.
Meeting Robert Kardashian Sr.
Jan met Robert Kardashian Sr. in 1998, about a year after losing John. Robert was a prominent Los Angeles attorney who had become nationally known as part of O.J. Simpson’s legal defense team in 1995. He was also the father of four children — Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian — from his previous marriage to Kris Jenner.
The two met when Robert was renting a house across the street from Jan’s. He reportedly saw a photo of her and reached out through a mutual friend. They began dating, and the relationship moved quickly. After seven months together, Robert proposed to Jan in Hawaii.
Marriage to Robert Kardashian Sr.
The Wedding
Jan Ashley and Robert Kardashian married on November 25, 1998, in Vail, Colorado. The ceremony was private. Robert was eager to bring Jan into his family and arranged for his four children to join them on their honeymoon ski trip to Vail, hoping the new family unit would bond quickly.
The 30-Day Marriage
The marriage lasted approximately 30 days. Jan requested an annulment, and it was granted. At the time, neither party gave a public explanation for the separation.
Robert Kardashian initially cited fraud in his annulment filing, though no details were ever confirmed or pursued in public. The marriage was one of the shortest in the broader Kardashian family story.
Jan’s Explanation — Years Later
In 2014, Jan spoke to Radar Online and offered her own account of why the marriage collapsed. She said the constant tension between Robert and his ex-wife Kris Jenner, along with the ongoing family drama involving the Kardashian children, made the household environment extremely difficult.
She described Robert as being stressed not because of her, but because of the pressures coming from his kids and his ex-wife. She said those tensions made a normal married life impossible to build.
Her account painted a picture of a man who had not fully separated himself from his previous family situation — and of a woman who found that situation unworkable within weeks of committing to it.
The Khloé Kardashian Paternity Claim
In 2012, Jan Ashley made headlines with a controversial claim. She told media outlets that Robert Kardashian Sr. had privately told her during their relationship that Khloé Kardashian was not his biological daughter.
The Kardashian family strongly denied the claim. Khloé Kardashian also denied it publicly. Official annulment court papers from 1999 had stated that Robert had four biological children, which contradicted Jan’s account.
The claim caused significant media attention at the time. It remains one of the most discussed aspects of Jan’s public story, even though it was never verified. Many who followed the story pointed out that Jan came forward with the claim more than a decade after the marriage ended, and that Robert Kardashian had passed away in 2003 and could not respond.
Jan was not known as someone who frequently sought media attention. This made the 2012 interview stand out as unusual relative to how she had conducted herself throughout the rest of her life.
Robert Kardashian After Jan Ashley
After the annulment, Robert Kardashian married for a third time. His third wife was Ellen Pearson, whom he married in 2003. Robert was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in July 2003 and passed away just two months later in September 2003, at the age of 59.
Jan did not make any public statement at the time of his death. She returned to private life after their marriage ended and stayed largely out of the public eye until her 2012 and 2014 media appearances.
Personal Character and Public Image
Jan Ashley was consistently described by those who knew her as calm, gracious, and private. She did not attempt to build a public career from her connection to Robert Kardashian. She gave few interviews, made no television appearances, and did not try to stay in the news after her brief marriage ended.
She had no children from either of her two marriages. She lived her later years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, returning to her home state in her final years.
Her approach to public life stood in sharp contrast to the family she had briefly been connected to. The Kardashians went on to become one of the most widely covered families in entertainment history. Jan moved in the opposite direction.
Death
Jan Ashley passed away on October 1, 2015, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was 67 years old. The cause of her death was not made public.
She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California — beside her first husband, John Ashley. That final resting place beside the man she had spent nearly 20 years with says more about her values than any headline ever did.
Her death received modest media coverage, noted primarily in the context of her connection to the Kardashian family history.
Legacy
Jan Ashley’s legacy is a quiet one. She won a beauty pageant on her own merits at 18. She built a long and stable first marriage. She walked into a second marriage in good faith and walked out with her dignity intact. She spoke her truth when she felt it necessary and then stepped back from public view.
She never wrote a book. She never hosted a podcast. She never appeared on reality television. She never traded her connection to the Kardashian name for money or fame.
In a world where celebrity adjacency is often treated as currency, Jan Ashley simply chose not to spend it. That choice is perhaps the most interesting thing about her.
You may also like Berniece Julien
FAQ
1. Who was Jan Ashley?
She was an American former beauty queen best known as the second wife of attorney Robert Kardashian Sr. Their marriage lasted 30 days in 1998 before being annulled.
2. When was Jan Ashley born?
She was born on August 3, 1948, in Amarillo, Texas. Her birth name was Janice Lynn Glass.
3. When did Jan Ashley die?
She died on October 1, 2015, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 67.
4. How long was Jan Ashley married to Robert Kardashian?
Their marriage lasted approximately 30 days. They married on November 25, 1998, and the marriage was annulled in early 1999.
5. Why did Jan Ashley and Robert Kardashian annul their marriage?
Jan later said the constant tension between Robert, his ex-wife Kris Jenner, and his children made the marriage impossible to sustain. Robert initially cited fraud in his annulment filing, but no details were confirmed.
6. Who was Jan Ashley’s first husband?
Her first husband was John Ashley, an actor and film producer. They married in 1978 and remained together until his death from a heart attack on October 3, 1997.
7. Did Jan Ashley have any children?
No. She had no children from either of her marriages.
8. What was Jan Ashley’s pageant title?
She won the title of Miss Tulsa in 1966, which brought her local recognition and confidence at the age of 18.
9. What controversy did Jan Ashley create?
In 2012, she claimed that Robert Kardashian Sr. had privately told her that Khloé Kardashian was not his biological daughter. The Kardashian family strongly denied the claim.
10. Where is Jan Ashley buried?
She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California, beside her first husband John Ashley.
11. Did Jan Ashley ever remarry after Robert Kardashian?
No. She did not marry again after her annulment from Robert Kardashian. She lived privately in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in her later years.
12. How did Jan Ashley meet Robert Kardashian?
Robert was renting a house across the street from Jan’s. He saw a photo of her and contacted her through a mutual friend. They dated for seven months before marrying.